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Mid Hudson Times, Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Mount hosts discussion on Constitutional Convention vote
New Yorkers have an important decision to make
on November 7, when they vote on whether or not
to hold a convention to potentially amend the State
Constitution. A recent Mount Saint Mary College panel
gathered students, faculty, staff, and members of the
local community to discuss the pros and cons of such a
venture.
The panel, hosted by the Mount’s School of Business,
was moderated by Michael L. Fox, assistant professor
of business law and pre-law advisor. It delved into the
13-word ballot referendum question: “Shall there be a
convention to revise the constitution and amend the
same?”
The event featured three local experts:
- Langdon C. Chapman, County Attorney, Orange
County.
- Henry M. Greenberg, Esq., Greenberg Traurig, LLP,
Albany.
-
Jeffrey S. Kahana, associate professor of history,
Mount Saint Mary College
The panelists noted that the New York Constitution
mandates a convention vote at least once every 20 years,
with the last convention being held in 1967. If a convention
is held, the delegates can only suggest amendments,
which will then be put on the ballot for voters to consider
in 2019.
The New York State Constitution is a convoluted
document, said Greenberg: It is a much larger document
than the federal Constitution.
“While there are many beautiful, soaring rights unique
Lee Ferris
Michael L. Fox, assistant professor of business law and pre-law advisor (standing), moderated the recent Constitutional
Convention panel at Mount Saint Mary College.
to the State Constitution that you won’t find in the federal
Constitution, New York’s Constitution is a 52,500 word
colossus,” Greenberg explained. “Most of the document
is unreadable verbiage. It covers provisions like canals
[and] the width of ski hills.”
But while most who have read it agree that the
document is in need of revision, it is difficult for them to
decide how to go about it. One option is the Constitutional
Convention.
Panelists took a neutral position, explaining the pros
and cons of a convention.
According to Fox, proponents of a convention say
the state needs to remove obsolete, inconsistent, or
City proposes $44.4
million budget
Continued from page 1
Another option, to maintain eight
positions, is to increase tax rates slightly,
resulting in an $8 per year homestead tax
bill increase and a $108 non-homestead
tax bill hike on properties assessed
at $250,000. “My city manager budget
proposes we will cut these positions,” the
city manager said.
The proposed budget had several
goals, city Comptroller Katie Mack
explained. “The first was to review the
use and approval of overtime in all
departments,” she said.
Another was to fund grant matches
for projects including the replacement of
Lake Street Bridge and the rehabilitation
of the Dutch Reform Church. The budget
also takes into account this year’s
property-assessment changes.
The new budget relies less on
the city’s fund balance, the comptroller
said. In recent years, a third of the fund
balance was used to cover the annual
budget, Mack said. “Since that piggy bank
only has $3.2 million, the idea of taking
a third of that every year to balance the
budget puts the city in a very precarious
situation,” she said.
The spending plan includes a
separate
water-sewer-and-sanitation
budget (enterprise budget) of more than
$15 million. This budget calls for a sewer-
rate increase of 4 percent. The increase
was generated, in large part, by sewer
upgrades required by the city’s “Long
Term Control Plan.” The 15-year plan
satisfies terms laid out in a New York
State Department of Environmental
Conservation consent order calling for a
separation of the city’s combined sewer
system.
Water and sanitation rates are
expected to remain flat. A public hearing
on the proposed budget will be held at
City Hall at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 13. For
more information on the proposed 2018
budget, go to Cityofnewburgh-ny.gov.
invalid portions of the current Constitution; reform
and streamline the state’s court system; and protect
a dditional civil and equal rights provisions, among other
concerns.
Those in opposition, Greenberg added, have expressed
fears that a convention, with the entire Constitution
open to amendment or revision, could result in reduced
protections for labor, civil rights, and the environment.
They also have objections to the cost of a convention, and
question why one is needed when a mechanism exists
for the State Legislature to amend the Constitution, with
ratification by vote of the People.
For more information, visitmsmc.edu
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